Try understanding how things work before accusing people of "stealing"
and being "greedy."

PG texts are completely free.  No rights reserved, no nothing.

The PG TRADEMARK ("Project Gutenberg") is not free.  If you create a
CD with PG's trademark all over it, you are required to pay licensing fees for
that trademark.  If, however, you strip the PG trademark, you can do anything
you want with those texts.

The reason is basically two-fold.

1) PG does need a revenue stream to maintain is admittedly frugal operations. 
(In reality, the licensing accounts for almost nothing in revenue.  Hence, the
greedy quote is particularly laughable.)

2) (And more important, imo) PG has to defend its trademark and good name.  If
you are putting together a DVD of texts, but somehow do a flat out terrible job
(ie, half the files on the DVD are corrupted), and PG's trademark is all over
the place, we look bad.  PG itself is getting tarnished by actions outside our
control.  By putting licensing over the trademark in place, it gives us *some*
control over the content that bears our name.

Josh

----- Original Message -----
From: Juhana Sadeharju <kouhia@nic.funet.fi>
Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2004 15:09:12 +0300
To: gutvol-d@lists.pglaf.org
Subject: [gutvol-d] Re: unauthorized PG venders

  

On Wed, 25 Aug 2004, Greg Newby wrote:

    

On Wed, Aug 25, 2004 at 02:34:06PM -0500, Aaron Cannon wrote:
      

Just found the following link on google.  Is this permitted?  I was under
the impression that the DVD was not supposed to be sold.

http://www.baccarat-instructions.com/items/6913444126.html
        

Resale for the DVD (unlike the CD) is not explicitly
prohibited.

He needs to pay trademark royalties, however, and to
my knowledge has not done so.

Sometimes Michael likes to go after such trademark infringers.
      

So, what is this CD and DVD thing? I have never ended up to such issues
with GNU software. What one should do when releasing PG etexts on CDs or
DVDs? Pay royalties? How much? Why the permission to use PG trademark
is not cost-free? Are people being greedy here?

Would it be enough to remove every reference to Project Gutenberg?

Yet again: Are the PG etexts free (in GNU like sense) or public domain?
Who has copyrights to the etexts in the PG archives?

I have a solution: Lets move all etexts to my project Truly Free Etexts.
Then everyone can do anything with them, burn to CDs and DVDs and sell
and re-sell them. The etexts would last forever and nobody can take the
joy away -- this is what happens with GNU software.

Of course, people should check twice to where contribute etexts.
Apparently PG has not been the best place in terms of freedom.
(Websites have re-copyrighted the PG etexts, and PG persons have
started their own business, PG2, with other's contributions.)

I would like to remind that it is great gift that old texts
goes to public domain. Lets not abuse this gift. Keep them in
public domain and spread the good word.

Juhana